WALES' name will be mud as part of a new advertisement campaign to attract 100,000 visitors.

The Wales tourist board is mounting an autumn campaign to sell the country as an all-year round destination, with mud as the theme.

David Stephen, the board's UK marketing manager, said direct mail material would take a tour of the types of mud on offer to enjoy.

"Flying mud at the Wales Rally GB in September, therapeutic mud at spas, creative mud potteries, educational mud at wildlife centres and nature reserves and muddy mud, often encountered when undertaking adventure activities like mountain biking and walking in autumn," he said..

"We are continuing with the desire to show Wales as it is, along with a little bit of tongue-in-cheek fun."

During September, the board's new Big Country campaign would start enticing people to visit Wales during the autumn and winter using an authentic sense of the place, people, culture and the true visitor experience, he said.

The campaign was a resounding success since its launch in the UK market in January and already achieved its full year response figure of 400,000, he said.

TV adverts also received positive feedback from visitors, with tracking research showing Wales continues to have the highest recall level of all destinations advertising in the UK.

"Our consumer research shows us that people increasingly crave experiences that are honest. We've seen a growing consumer demand for openness and honesty from brands in recent years," Mr Stephen said..

"Our new approach seems to be working and we're delighted that we've already reached our target for responses for the year.

"The autumn campaign will keep up the momentum over the autumn and winter months."

Welsh tourism minister Andrew Davies said: "I'm delighted with the success of the Big Country Campaign to date, which secured £86m for the Welsh economy in 2004.

"I am sure that this new and even more innovative campaign will continue to set a benchmark for high-quality marketing campaigns and attract even more interest in Wales as a desirable place to visit and do business."

The campaign will include six weeks of TV advertising, direct mailing and online advertising.